Parliament sitting extended by one week

Malawians will have to wait a little longer before Parliament wraps up its current meeting after lawmakers were given more time to deal with a backlog of key legislation.

Speaker of the National Assembly Sameer Suleman has announced an extension of the current sitting of Parliament to August 7, 2026.

The extension gives legislators an extra week to debate and conclude several businesses.

The extension, approved by President Peter Mutharika, is intended to allow the House to fully scrutinise pending government bills before Parliament adjourns.

Earlier this week, Suleman disclosed that consultations were underway to extend the sitting, arguing that lawmakers needed more time to adequately consider the pending legislation.

Suleman said the bills are already on the Notice Paper and parliamentary committees are working to finalise their input before they are tabled for debate.

“The bills are already on the Notice Paper, and the relevant parliamentary committees are being engaged to provide their input before they are brought before the House for debate,” he said.

The Speaker also challenged parliamentary committees to produce high-quality reports, saying well-researched recommendations are critical for informed debate and sound decision-making in the National Assembly.

The Third Meeting of the 52nd Session of Parliament opened on July 7, 2026, and was initially expected to end on July 31 before the latest extension.